


Higher Ground

by Something_Poetic



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Forced Relationship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Threats of Rape/Non-Con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2019-08-20 19:32:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16561925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Something_Poetic/pseuds/Something_Poetic
Summary: Adam finally knew how much worth he was in the eyes of his father. Ten pieces of gold. Which was enough to pay back his parents’ debt and return to the mainland. Meanwhile, Adam got sold to a bunch of pirates.





	1. Chapter 1

Adam Parrish had learned from a young age, never to open his mouth while his father was doing business. It actually went farther than that, Adam was rarely allowed to talk in the presence of his father. Robert Parrish was an impatient man, he didn't like wasting time on his only son who could barely form proper sentences when he was in the presence of his own father.

He watched in silence as Robert Parrish sold stolen goods to a young man, barely older then Adam himself. He was tall and lanky, the unclean shirt he wore was unbuttoned and revealed a muscled chest, he had scars on his stomach, healed stab wounds, Adam thought. Every time he moved, the jewelry decorating his neck and wrists jingled. When he smiled, Adam counted at least two golden teeth. If the guy was so rich, why couldn't he even bother to clean up? Adam's mouth turned into a thin line as he tried to keep his face as neutral as possible. On his left side, he saw movement. He turned his head to face some of the crew that had followed their captain on this bargain.

Captain Joseph something-something, that's what his father had called him. Their captain rarely bothered to remember the names of who he did business with. If he'd ever get caught, his customers wouldn't have to fear getting caught as well.

Their captain had ordered them to bring three boxes filled with hidden treasures to the shore. Joseph something-something had bought all three of them and was now talking about the next deal with Robert. Meanwhile, his crew was checking out the scrolls, disappointed that it wasn't gold. "Again," one of them pointed out.

"We need those scrolls, to find the gold, dickheads." One of them said, unlike the others, he didn't even come near the boxes. His arms were crossed, and he leaned against a palm tree. Adam was sweating, it was two in the afternoon and the sun stood high in the sky. He wanted to take a dip into the sea, his throat felt dry and the bruises on his body stung. Yet this stranger wore only black, his head was shaved with the sun burning down on it hard, he didn't seem bothered by it at all.

When the stranger caught him staring, Adam froze for a short moment. The stranger's gaze was intense as he stared him up and down, when his gaze landed on the bruise forming around Adam's left eye, he narrowed his eyes for a second. Then he glanced at Robert Parrish, Adam held his breath.

The stranger looked at his captain. Joseph something-something looked up as well, as if he knew his crewmate had been staring. He turned his head just the slightest, smirked at the stranger and returned his attention back to Robert.

Robert didn't look pleased with being interrupted mid-sentence by Joseph who'd missed half of what he said. Adam knew he'd be the one who'd get punished tonight. His face throbbed. He could feel the stranger's eyes on him again and frowned while turning his gaze elsewhere.

Which was a mistake really, he'd turned his left ear to the conversation, the crew members were making too much noise, he could barely understand what his father and Joseph were talking about. If his father drank too much before heading back to the ship, it would be Adam who'd have to report to their captain. Their captain hated Robert, and therefore hated Adam's mom and himself as well. Adam didn't look forward to that conversation, just like he didn't look forward to being alone with his father after this was over.

"Alright, two months, same place." Joseph said, his voice louder than earlier. Adam frowned and faced him. Joseph was staring at him, he held out his hand to Robert Parrish. His father looked at it with disgust but still shook it.

"Pleasure doing business, sir." Robert said between gritted teeth.

Joseph squeezed his hand; Robert's frown grew deeper. Then Joseph let go and wiped his hand, he turned his head to face the stranger. Adam followed his gaze only to realize the stranger had still been staring, the moment their eyes met, the stranger looked away. He was scowling, as if Adam's mere presence was an insult.

Nothing he wasn't used to. Adam looked down, at the white sand beneath his boots. There was a seaglass just in front of the tip of his boots. His father wasn't looking at him so he picked it up. He turned it around in his hands, the blue shimmered beautifully in the sun. Maybe in the dark, he could believe it was a diamond with which he could buy his freedom back. He put it in the pocket of his pants.

"How much for the boy?" Joseph asked then.

Adam's head snapped up, Joseph had nodded his head towards him. Adam's eyes widened as he watched Robert's head turn to face him. Adam still had his hand in the pocket of his pants, he stood frozen. Something heavy was pushing on his chest making it hard to breathe.

Robert glared at him.

Adam was in trouble.

"That's my son, he ain't for sale." Robert said, his voice gruff, "Also, captain doesn't sell people." His accent was thick, Adam hated how similar it sounded to his own.

"I'm not asking your captain, I'm asking you." Joseph said, he grinned. Adam felt a shiver run down his spine.

Robert's gaze hardened, "He ain't worth anything, he's terrible at everything, you'd be wasting your money." It was an insult. Adam was nothing to his father, but for once it didn't sting, his father might hate him, but having Adam around made his life a bit easier. For one, he had someone to share his debt with.

"Oh, I don't need him to do anything, he can lie on his back the entire time for all I care." He narrowed his eyes, "If you know what I mean."

Robert understood, his gaze hardened and he spat in front of Joseph's shoes. "I knew there was something wrong about you the moment I saw you."

Joseph laughed, he threw his head back.

"Does it matter what I am? You've got your money, don't you?" Joseph waved off his crew who'd pulled out their weapons the moment Robert had insulted their captain. They hesitated and exchanged looks, the only person who hadn't moved was the stranger. He was still lounging against the palm tree, he looked disinterested.

"Two months, same place." Robert said in lieu of goodbye. He turned away from Joseph and nodded at Adam, a sign that he had to follow. He walked fast, trying to catch up to his dad.

"Five pieces of gold." Joseph shouted.

Robert stopped, Adam bumped into him. He heard his father breathe, he was furious. Adam tried to apologize, instead he saw a fist flying his way and braced himself for the impact. It hit his head, hard enough for him to lose his balance and fall down.

Joseph laughed. The crew mates cheered.

Adam felt his cheeks burn from humiliation, his head throbbed, and his right ear was ringing. "Get up." Robert snapped.

Adam did, he kept his gaze down.

Caught your interest, didn't it, old man?" Joseph laughed manically, "I'd be doing you a favor even, he looks like a real burden."

Adam looked up to glare at Joseph, the stranger now stood behind him, he whispered something in Joseph's ear. To which Joseph replied, "For you of course."

The stranger looked like he wanted to murder him. Adam would have happily helped.

"Five pieces of gold?" Robert parroted.

Adam felt cold, even though the sun burning down on him. He turned to face his father, "Dad, no." he gasped, his eyes wide, "Please,"

When Robert stared at him, it was with full disgust. Adam felt sick, he'd always known his father hated him. God, how could he ever forget? But not even in his worst nightmares would he have imagined his father selling him like an animal.

"Dad, please." Adam was desperate, he rarely begged. He knew it usually only made things worse, but he wasn't just going to stand there while his father considered if five pieces of gold was enough. It was enough to repay his debt to the captain.

"He ain't for sale." Robert said.

Adam sighed in relief, his knees buckled but he managed to stay upright. At night, his father would probably stare at him and see the five pieces of gold. But for now, Adam didn't have to worry about becoming property of pirates. Robert grabbed his arm, his grip hard, Adam had to bite his cheeks while his father dragged him further away from Joseph and his crew.

"Six pieces!"

This time, Adam did cry out in pain when his father's grip tightened. Robert Parrish cast him a furious look before turning his head to Kavinsiky, "Ten!"

Adam was going to throw up, "Dad! No!"

"Shut-up boy."

His eyes stung, he stared in disbelief at his father, then at Joseph,

"Eight," he said, he'd won.

Adam's stomach was made out of lead.

"Dad, please no." he was trembling, "Please-, please don't." he was rambling. He barely opened his mouth in the presence of his father and now he couldn't stop, "Please, I'll do anything you ask. I'll work twice as hard, I'll take your shifts, please, please don't do this." Whatever promises he could come up with next died on his tongue when his father hit him again. This time it was on his left ear, an injury that was still healing.

He gasped when he hit the ground, breathed in the sand and coughed. He barely managed to get up.

"Ten or no deal." His father said.

"Fine," Joseph said, "Deal. Sold."

"No, no," Adam shook his head, "No, no wait-" he held out his hand to Joseph, "Please, no," he choked, then he stared at his father, "Dad…"

"Sorry princess, time's up. We really should be going." Joseph held up a bag, when he shook it, Adam heard the coins. His father reached out towards him, his hand like a claw, tried to grab him by the back of his neck. Adam ducked, he stumbled backwards.

Robert turned slowly, his eyes spitting fire, if Adam were to run and Robert got his hands on him, he'd be dead for sure. Adam held up both hands, "Dad…" he said, out of the corner of his eyes he saw Joseph watching, they hadn't budged yet, but his father was walking towards him.

Adam walked backwards, "Don't make me go with them, please." His voice broke.

He almost tripped over a branch, at the same time, his father lunged forward, and Joseph's crew moved. Adam moved away, he turned around and ran.

If his father caught up to him, he'd rather have him kill Adam then leave him with Joseph's crew. Still, he tried to get away first. He left the beach behind him and ran straight into the trees. Behind him he could hear both Robert Parrish and Joseph's crew run after him. Robert was furious, but the pirates were laughing, as if this was a game.

 

X

 

 

Adam jumped over branches, he pushed leaves out of his face and kept going deeper and deeper into the forest. He heard buzzing from everywhere around him, he almost stumbled over something but kept going. Until his lungs were burning, and his legs felt like they were going to collapse.

He didn't stop.

Stopping meant getting caught.

So, he didn't stop, he ran until all he could hear was the sound of the forest. Behind him he heard something rustle, when he turned he just saw the tail of a colorful bird. He panted, his heart was beating fast and sweat ran down his face. It burned his eyes, he leaned against a tree and tried to catch his breath.

His stomach gave up on him and he doubled over while throwing up the meager meal from earlier.

"Fuck," he said between gritted teeth, he punched his fist against the tree, hard enough to break skin. He cursed again and pulled his hand back. he stumbled away and looked around.

There was green everywhere. Adam needed water, he started walking again.

Every sound he heard made him turn, he felt like he was on the edge of a breakdown. He hoped they'd just given up. Had he gotten far enough for them to never find him again?

His foot got stuck and he tripped, face first into the dirt. A huge insect ran over his arm and Adam pushed it off, he scrambled back.

He heard shouting in the distance.

Adam stood up and started running again.

"There!"

The ground disappeared beneath his feet, Adam rolled down the cliff, he brought his arms up to protect his face and scraped them. He gasped in pain, when he reached the bottom, he heard water. There was a small waterfall, the water came from inside a cave.

He got up, his sweat stung his scrapes and blood trickled down his arms. His leg felt sore, he cursed, for a moment it felt like he'd forgotten how to run. Then he forced his body to keep moving, he followed the water further away into the forest.

He was going too slow.

He knew he'd lost the moment he started running.

His right leg hurt, it buckled under his weight and he fell again. He was covered in even more bruises, bleeding from several of them. This time when he tried to catch up, his arms trembled too much, and he fell again.

It was the stranger with the shaved head who caught up with him first. Adam was gasping for breath, clutching his chest, he didn't have enough breath, he felt like dying. The stranger was panting, his gaze furrowed in a brow.

Adam shut his eyes, they stung.

He heard more footsteps.

"Ah, you caught him!" someone else said, "Damn, the kid can run. I'll give him that,"

Adam slowly sat up, he was surrounded, five crew members, the stranger and Adam were in the center. When Adam looked up to meet his eyes, the stranger almost looked sorry for him. Then another crew member said something, and his gaze hardened.

"Help him up, we're leaving." He said.

"Please," Adam said again, he hated begging, he'd sworn he'd never beg for help. He'd sworn he'd make it out there on his own, he was Adam Parrish and one day, he'd be free and belong to no one.

Hands wrapped around his arms, hauling him. Adam's legs gave up, one of the men just picked him up, as if he weighted nothing. He tried to push him off, tried being the key word. His grip was too weak, he let out a helpless sound, "Let go!"

"Can't I knock him out?" the man said.

Adam managed to punch the man hard enough that'd let him go, he fell hard on the ground and felt all air leave his lungs. He coughed and tried to roll away.

The man hauled him again, his grip hard enough to leave bruises.

"Don't hurt him." the stranger said. His voice loud and clear.

The man carrying Adam grumbled, he threw Adam over his shoulder and they walked back. Adam saw the knife hanging on the man's belt. If he'd grab it, would he have enough time to stab himself?

He reached for it.

Then someone punched him hard enough to knock him out.

X

He got woken up with a bucket of water. Adam gasped and shot up, a mistake, his entire body hurt. His clothes clung to him like a second skin, he was soaked to the bone. Over him stood none other Joseph and one of his men. The tall male looked at Adam with a bored expression.

"You've got quite the legs on you," Joseph said with a vicious grin, he placed both arms on his hips while he stared Adam down.

Adam suddenly realized how thin his shirt was, he hugged himself, his teeth were clattering from the cold water. When he looked around he saw that he was in a room on a ship, out of a window, all he could see was the ocean and the blue sky.

His heart sunk.

"Oohhh look at him all modest." Joseph coed, "Clean him up Prokopenko, he fucking reeks." He nodded towards the other buckets of water. Then Joseph turned his back towards them and headed towards the stairs that led to the deck.

"Wait," Adam rasped, his throat hurt, and his voice sounded scratchy.

Joseph stopped.

"Let me pay you back," Adam said, "I-I'll repay my debt, I'll work-"

Joseph laughed, "I don't want you to pay me back, you idiot. You're a gift, until he gets tired of you, you belong to me." He paused and thought for a moment, he cocked his head to the left and added, "I'll probably hand you over to the crew when that happens." He looked Adam up and down again, "Don't get your hopes up pretty boy, you're not leaving this place." He winked and then continued going upstairs.

Adam stared.

The guy, Prokopenko, offered him a smaller bucket filled with clear water. Adam stared at it, then he took it with trembling hands. The water rippled, he cupped his hands together to scope out some water and drank.

"Ronan's an alright guy," Prokopenko said, he had a Northern European accent. Adam had heard something similar once, his captain had once done business with a Polish Pirate ship. Adam didn't respond, he drank until he wasn't thirsty anymore.

"Alright, up you go." Prokopenko said, he held up a sponge and soap. When Adam didn't budge, only stared at him, he frowned, "Don't make me punch you again."

Adam had a headache.

He stood up, when Prokopenko gestured towards his clothes, he wrapped his arms around himself again. "I'm not going to undress in front of you." Adam said, his voice hoarse.

Prokopenko's eyebrows shot up, "You'll be doing that a lot from now on, better get used to it." When he took a step forward, Adam took one backwards. Prokopenko rolled his eyes. "Where are you going to? You can't run on a ship. You planning on swimming?"

More like drowning.

"Let me do it," Adam said then, he held out his hand. Prokopenko shrugged and handed him the sponge and soap, it was an expensive brand, purple and smelled of flowers. The kind of scent rich ladies on land carried. It was new, Adam looked down at the soap. Then at Prokopenko. Adam turned his back towards him, Prokopenko huffed in amusement.

Adam took a deep breath before pulling off his shirt, he removed all his clothing and tried to clean himself as quickly as possible.

"Down there too," Prokopenko reminded him, "If you don't do it right, I'll help."

"Fuck off," Adam snapped, face burning.

Prokopenko offered him clean clothes once he dried himself off. They were too big on him but comfortable, the fabric soft and expensive. Nothing like what he used to wear. Prokopenko let him put on his trousers before taking care of his bruises. He rubbed ointment on them, even the ones that were older then today, then he put bandages around the ones that needed it.

"How's the leg?" Prokopenko asked.

Adam had a huge purple bruise on it, it hurt, but it he had worse. "It's fine." He snapped.

Prokopenko then reached for the bruise around Adam's eye, he touched the tender skin and Adam pulled back. Prokopenko sighed, held up both hands in surrender.

He then told Adam to follow.

Adam wondered if he'd jumped off the ship, would the ship drag him under and drown him? Or would a shark perhaps mistake him for a fish and eat him? Would it be a quick and painless dead? Or would he die the way he'd lived his life so far? In pain and knowing it was all for nothing.

 

 

X

 

 

Prokopenko led him to a room large enough to be the captains. There was a large bed at the back, there was a desk filled with scrolls and weird objects Adam didn't recognize. The large wooden armoire was wide open, clothes were scattered around the room everywhere. The room was a mess.

On Adam's right stood a palette.

Ah.

He looked around the room. When he saw a sword resting on the king-sized bed, he took one step forward. Then he felt Prokopenko's hand on his shoulder.

A door opened behind his back. Prokopenko's strong hands forced him to turn around. Adam's eyes widened once he saw it was the stranger from earlier who'd entered. His gaze as cold as ever, he was carrying a tray of food.

"That'll be all Prokopenko, you can fuck off." The stranger said, voice unkind.

Even though this man wasn't Prokopenko's captain, he still obeyed and left. Adam watched this happen in silence. When Prokopenko closed the door behind him, the stranger sighed and walked towards the center of the room, Adam noticed he had a limp, the stranger tried to cover it, he could have fooled someone who wasn't paying attention, but Adam recognized the obvious strain. The stranger found an empty spot on the floor and put the tray down, he struggled with his right leg for a moment, then sat down.

Adam watched from a safe distance.

The stranger rolled his eyes and looked up, he was frowning, he gestured to the empty spot in front of him.

"I'm fine," Adam said, he straightened his back.

"I'm sure, sit down. We need to talk."

Adam narrowed his eyes, "I want to buy back my freedom." He said.

The stranger snorted, "And I wanted to own a farm when I was a kid, sit the fuck down and listen."

He hesitated, glanced at the door. He knew he'd lost his chance to escape, just as much as he knew that if he managed to reach for the weapon on the bed, he'd most likely still lose. Adam grew up avoiding violence as much as possible, he'd never learned to fight, only how to hide. His shoulders slumped, Adam walked towards the stranger and sat across from him. The stranger pointed towards the tray. There was soup and fresh fruits, wine, cheese and bread. It was the sort of meal he'd watch his captain eat while he and his family ate leftovers.

He was hungry.

When Adam reached for the spoon, the stranger didn't stop him. He unpeeled an orange, his nails were clean, they dug into the skins When a droplet ran down his thumb, he brought his hand to his mouth and licked it.

Adam was staring, when the stranger looked up and met his gaze, Adam snatched the soup away and put it on his lap. He knew it was a rude gesture, it would have gotten him into trouble. But the stranger simply quirked up an eyebrow.

Adam ate his soup, it smelled delicious, of spices and peppers. The taste was even better, he'd never eaten anything like it. The feeling of finally eating something warm after so long couldn't be described, it felt blissful, Adam closed his eyes and breathed in. There was meat in the soup, meat, god he'd never thought he'd ever know the taste.

"When was the last time you ate?" the stranger asked then.

Adam, for one unexpected moment, had forgotten he was there. He stared at the empty bowl, for a moment he considered licking it clean. He sighed and put it back on the tray instead. The stranger offered him his half-eaten orange. Adam stared.

"I always get bored of them, just eat it." The stranger said.

Adam took it. Fresh fruit had been a luxury, oranges were beyond that. He wondered if he should rest his taste buds for a moment, let it sink in that for the first time in his life, he actually had to use them. Could his mouth be overwhelmed after tasting so much? He didn't know you could put so much taste into one meal.

Slowly he brought one piece to his mouth and bit down. The skin broke and juice dripped over his lips, down his chin, the taste filled his mouth. He blinked rapidly, okay, if he was going to die, he was glad that at least he knew what oranges tasted like.

He allowed himself this.

He allowed himself this moment of quiet before the storm. The stranger didn't interrupt him, didn't pull back the food and make him work for it until he was too tired to bother. The stranger didn't mock how thin he looked.

When Adam had finished his orange, the stranger offered him a glass of wine. Usually, he'd refused. He hated alcohol, hated what it did to men when they had too much. But then he remembered Joseph's words. He remembered his dad shouting 'ten gold pieces' over the sound of the waves breaking on the shore. His bruises ached, and he was drawn back into reality.

He looked down at the tray, he suddenly felt sick. He looked up to meet the stranger's steady gaze and took the cup. He drank and scrunched his nose, he didn't like the taste at all. The stranger actually laughed at this. Adam ignored him and drank all off it.

"Alright, let's talk." he said.

The stranger's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, the smile disappeared immediately, he replaced it with a scowl. He held up the bottle of wine, Adam breathed in and held out his cup. If he drank enough, he'd hopefully pass out and not notice a thing.

"I'm Ronan," and suddenly the stranger no longer wasn't a stranger. He was a young man with a name. Ronan didn't offer him a hand, instead he filled Adam's cup to the brim and poured wine for himself in the other cup.

Adam sipped from his second glass while Ronan finished his in-record time. He poured a second for himself, "Adam, was it?"

Adam didn't want to do this. He didn't want to get to the know the name of the man who'd-… he turned his head to stare at the bed. Names made it too personal, he thought. He didn't want this.

He drank from his wine, when he held out his empty cup, Ronan hesitated for a moment, then filled his cup. Adam's cheeks felt warm, his head felt lighter and the bruises no longer ached. He drank.

"Adam Parrish," he said.

"Pleasure," Ronan said the same way one would say, "Whatever," he straightened his back, "Listen Adam," his voice was serious, "You're kind of in a crappy situation right now."

Adam snorted.

Ronan gave him an unimpressed look, "You can't pay me back, I can't help you out of this because I didn't buy you. The one who bought you is K- Captain Kavinsiky," he talked slow, for a moment, Adam wanted to get mad at him for treating him like an idiot, but he kept his gaze focused on Ronan's face instead. Ronan looked just as troubled about this whole situation as Adam felt. Adam put his cup down and pulled up his knees, he wrapped his arms around his legs, his head felt heavy and he let it rest on top of his knees while staring at Ronan. His eyelids drooped. "Look… I don't know how to say this nicely, K bought you as a prank." He said.

"I know."

Ronan's eyes widened, he then breathed in, he brushed his hand over his shaved head and mirrored Adam's position. For someone so tall, he was good at making himself appear smaller, Adam noted dully.

Where had his fear gone? He frowned.

"That doesn't mean he'll just leave you be. You have a job to fulfill."

Adam glanced at his wine.

Ronan reached for it and took it away, "Listen!" he hissed.

Adam glared at him, "Does it matter if I listen? I already know what's expected of me." He sat up straighter, he gestured towards the bed, "How'bout we just cut the crap and let's get it over with, no? Should I undress myself or would you like the honor?" he'd raised his voice. He was angry, he felt it boiling down in his stomach, his hands turned into fists.

His anger of course ebbed away as soon as he realized his mistake. Adam groaned softly and curled up in himself again, "I'm sorry," he said. Please don't hurt me.

"Adam, listen." Ronan said, his voice steady, "I'm not going to do anything,"

That sounded unbelievable, he glared at Ronan with narrowed eyes, stilly mostly curled up on himself. Ronan looked like he wanted to punch something, he drank more wine instead before he continued talking, "I shouldn't have given you that wine, Jesus Parrish, have you never had a drink before?"

He shook his head.

"Fucking hell," Ronan shook his head, "Okay," he pointed at the palette, "That's yours," he pointed at his own bed, "That's mine." He talked faster than before, Adam had trouble following him. "You're a gift. Which means that in K's eyes, right now, you belong to me. I feel like it's safe to assume that you and I both think people shouldn't be owed at all."

Adam stared at Ronan.

He gulped, shook his head.

"The moment I decide to get rid of you, you're his again. I'm gonna reassure you right now that this is not going to happen. But K will get mad if it doesn't look like I'm using you."

Ah, of course. "You're a real hero, you know." Adam snorted, "Almost had me convinced,"

"What?" Ronan glared at him.

Adam shook his head, "Whatever," he slowly got up, he felt sluggish and regretted this decision immediately. It didn't help that the boat was moving too, he stumbled towards the desk and leaned on it. He didn't want to go near the bed, even though he knew that's where they would probably end up. His hands were alarmingly steady as he unbuttoned his shirt, "Just fucking get it over with." He said.

Ronan shot up as well, he walked towards him. There was still enough distance between them, Ronan didn't get awfully close, but close enough for him to stop Adam from unbuttoning the rest of his shirt.

"Could you just… fucking let me finish?" Ronan said between gritted teeth, "I'm not going to have sex with you for crying out loud!"

This, Adam hadn't seen coming, he blinked, opened his mouth to say something, then decided to just keep it shut and let Ronan finish. Ronan looked relieved.

On a second thought, "Why not?" he said.

"Because unlike that rotting fucking nitwit on deck, I prefer partners who consent."

"How noble…" Adam muttered, "For a pirate."

"You have no idea how much I'm regretting being nice to you."

"Is this what you call being nice?" Adam shot back.

Ronan took a deep breath and walked away from him, "You're drunk."

"Anyone would be in my situation." Adam said.

Ronan headed towards his bed, he pulled off two pillows and a sheet and threw it at the palette. "Sleep,"

When Adam didn't budge, he threw up both hands in frustration, "Or fucking don't. I'm leaving, whatever happens, Do not leave this room." He headed back towards the door, when Adam didn't say anything, Ronan turned, "Say it."

Adam thought about what he'd find on deck, he thought about jumping off and hoping for the best. Maybe he'd die, maybe they were near land, he was a good swimmer, perhaps he'd make it. Then he thought of what Ronan said about Captain Joseph Kavinsiky.

Either Ronan had spoken the truth, or he was an incredibly skilled liar.

"I'll stay." He said.

Ronan looked relieved, he nodded and left.

 

X

 

 

Ronan Lynch stumbled back into his sleeping quarters. His head was pounding, in one hand he held onto a bottle of rum, the other hand he used to push open his door. Except the door was already open and there was nothing in front of him.

He stumbled towards his desk and put the bottle down. The boat was moving, he saw the bottle slowly lean towards the edge. When he tried to stop it from falling, he missed. The bottle fell with a loud thud, he cursed and kicked his chair.

Behind him there was movement, the rustling of sheets.

"Parrish!" Ronan said, his voice loud, he turned and headed towards the palette.

The person on the palette didn't get up, but he did make himself look smaller. Ronan saw him pull the sheets over his shoulder. He walked towards him, each movement sluggish, he tripped and fell right on top of the palette.

"Jesus!" Adam gasped.

"Parrish!" Ronan said again.

Adam was tense underneath him, his eyes wide while he tried to scramble away.

"I figured it out," Ronan said, he tried to get up, but his arms refused to listen. "Help me up first,"

"You're drunk." Adam noted, he still put his hands on Ronan's shoulders and pushed him up.

"Always am," Ronan shrugged, he held up both hands and hushed Adam. He smirked, proud of himself for what he wanted to say, "I figured," he hiccupped, Adam scrunched his nose once he caught a whiff of Ronan's breath, "It out. I know how to make them not hurt you."

Adam said nothing.

Ronan frowned at him, obviously not pleased with this response. The least this rude ass dickhead could do was ask him 'how' or even a simple thank you would help.

One of them was breathing fast. When Ronan checked, he learned that it wasn't him. He reached for Adam's throat, Adam flinched, "Your hand." Ronan reached out further until he could put his hands on Adam's pulse.

His heart was beating faster as well.

"Did you take one of K's pills?" he asked.

"What?" Adam all but wheezed.

"Did you?"

"No, I didn't steal anything!"

"I didn't say steal," Ronan narrowed his eyes. He stared at the boy in front of him, Adam's skin felt clammy, his eyes were wide open, and he kept his eyes on Ronan. They followed every move he made.

Ronan knew what it meant.

Or at least, he thought he did. It was on the tip of his tongue, but when he opened his mouth, words didn't come out.

Adam scrambled away in time, he fell off the bed while Ronan threw up.

Ah…. "Fuck," he groaned. How the fuck was Adam supposed to trust him if all he did was make things worse?

"Trust you?" Adam gasped. Had he said that out loud?

"I don't like you." Ronan concluded.

Adam looked at him from down the ground, his eyes, his mouth slightly parted. A moment passed, then Adam's gaze hardened, his mouth turned into a thin line and his eyes narrowed, "The feeling is mutual."

Ronan got up and with fumbling hands, he began to undress. "Don't leave this room," he said, then he dropped himself on his bed and passed out.

 

X

 

Adam was both furious, while at the same time frightened. He couldn't go back to sleep after Ronan woke him up. Most of it could be blamed on the fact that Ronan had just thrown up on the pallet meant for Adam to sleep on, while the other part was frightened he'd wake up with Ronan on top of him again. Ronan hadn't made a move on him yet, had made it clear he didn't want to touch Adam.

Adam would be a fool to trust a pirate's word, though. He'd grown up on a pirate ship. He knew they only cared about themselves, money, rum and whores. He'd rubbed his eyes while thinking about the last thing on the list he'd just made.

Adam had been bought.

His father had sold him.

Adam finally knew how much worth he was in the eyes of his father. Ten pieces of gold. Which was enough to pay back his parents' debt and return to the mainland. Adam had never seen the Americas, he'd only heard of it from stories. Their captain had preferred European seas. They'd often spend weeks on the sea without going on land, they'd lost many crewmates because of this. Adam had spent enough nights, fighting back the tears, biting his lip in order not to scream in pain. Ill from eating rotten food and drinking slimy green water.

Ronan's cabin reeked of vomit. The stench was nothing compared to what Adam was used to. Still, he got up and begun to wander around. Looking for something he could use to clean it up. When he found nothing, he went outside. His heart beating faster, while he held his breath. He climbed up the stairs slowly.

Once on deck, he cast a quick look around. Eyes wandering, he walked towards the railing. The moon hung high in the air, giving him a good view of what was in front of him. Nothing, but water. There was no land in sight. He looked down. I could jump. He thought. He'd seen men die like this. The water was too cold, the distance between the deck and the water too big, there were enough ways to die from jumping off a ship.

He shut his eyes and breathed in.

No, he'd find a way to get out of here. Before Ronan could make a move on him, preferably. His eyes scanned over the main deck, searching for rowboats. This ship was much bigger than the previous one. It looked much more luxurious as well, he noted. Stolen.

"Did Lynch already get bored of ye?" A voice, coming from the right asked him. Startled, Adam took a step back, while he turned his head to face the stranger.

Joseph Kavinsiky, as Adam had learned, was staring at him. He was leaning casually against the railing. He'd cleaned up since the last time Adam saw him. The shirt he wore was pristine white underneath the moonlight. His hair was puffy, and whipped around his face, due the cold air.

Adam realized he was still only wearing a thin shirt, he suppressed a shiver.

Kavinsiky grinned while staring him up and down. Adam didn't bother to hide how disgusted he was by the gesture. Which only made Kavinsiky laugh loudly. This caught the attention of other crewmen who'd still been wandering around.

Adam hadn't seen them earlier, but suddenly they were everywhere. Shit. He took another step back.

"You can't run this time." Kavinsiky said.

No, but he could jump, if that meant no one could get their hands on him. He'd lived through years of his father's abuse. But he wasn't going to live through what Kavinsiky had been implying before Robert had sold him.

"He didn't." Adam said, lying through his teeth. His cheeks felt hot, just thinking about the fact that he was playing along. He fought back the urge to look around. A small crowd had gathered behind Kavinsiky, laughing and muttering under their breaths. Jumping sounded so much better then hearing what they were whispering about him. "He's drunk." Adam said. "And threw up. He sent me to look for cleaning supplies."

Joseph didn't look convinced, "Sounds like he's not using his gift for its intended purpose." He said. His crewmen snickered. Joseph cast a quick look over his shoulder, a shit-eating grin on his face. Adam hated him.

"Typical." Joseph said and shook his head. "Well then, if Lynch isn't using you…" the crowd grew louder. Adam placed his hand on top of the railing. Joseph never got to finish what he wanted to say. Someone threw a mop at Adam. He clumsily managed to grab it.

Joseph was glaring at Prokopenko, who'd stepped forward. Prokopenko didn't seem bothered by his captain's furious look at all. He looked at ease, nonchalant while he stared back at his captain. "I kept Lynch occupied, that's why he couldn't use his gift yet." He said and nodded at Adam. Adam balled his hands into fists.

"You know he doesn't like sharing, captain." Prokopenko continued, "At least give him a day before stealing his stuff."

Joseph shrugged, "Whatever," then; "You're a terrible first mate, Prokopenko."

Prokopenko didn't seem bothered to hear that at all.

"Help him clean up." Kavinsiky ordered Prokopenko, then turned around to face his crewmen. "And the rest of you, get back to work, ye bunch of scallywags." The crowd broke up, muttering disappointment under their breaths. They were too slow according to Joseph, who shouted a bunch of colorful threats at them that got them all moving faster.

Prokopenko waited until he and Adam were alone, he grabbed Adam's arm and hauled him back towards Ronan's cabin. Adam tried to pull back his arm but found that Prokopenko had a very strong and painful grip. "Are you insane?" he hissed in front of Ronan's door. "Leaving Lynch's room without his company."

"What am I? His pet?" Adam snapped, finally able to pull back his arm. He stumbled a step back from the force of it, his hand rubbed the now sore spot on his bicep.

"You're less than that." Prokopenko said. "Know your places, slave."

Adam felt numb. He said nothing. At least now, he had a good comprehension of what position he was in. At least with his parents, he'd still been part of the crew. On this ship, he stood below the animals living onboard. He should have jumped when he'd gotten the chance.

Prokopenko opened the door and pushed him inside, he slammed the door shut and went straight for Adam's palette. He pulled off all of the sheets and cushions. Ronan hadn't thrown up the floor, so the mop Adam was carrying was useless, he dropped it on the floor with a loud clatter. The sound satisfied him. Prokopenko send him a furious look. Ronan didn't wake up.

"Tell Lynch he has to man up and use you for what you were bought for." He hissed on his way back out, "Or else the captain will hand you over to the rest of the crew, they won't pamper you just 'cuz you've got a pretty face." One of the pillows almost slipped out of the pile he was carrying. "You can sleep in his bed, so that when he wakes up, all he has to do is roll over to use you."

Adam was going to throw up.

Prokopenko left, he shut the door quietly. Adam didn't waste a second, as soon as he heard his footsteps fade away. He headed towards the windows, he'd unlock them and jump. He was going to do it. He wasn't going to stay a minute longer on this ship.

Except his hands were trembling and all the windows had a lock that needed a key. Who has windows like that? He thought miserably, while pushing back the panic building up inside of him.

He let out a pathetic soft sob while dropping down on his knees, his hands still clung onto one the locks that kept the windows shut. He wasn't going to cry, he wasn't going to cry.

He couldn't believe it, Adam actually missed his parents. They'd barely been separated for 24hours and he missed them.

"Shit."

 

X

 

 

When Ronan woke up, Adam had been wide awake, sitting in the corner furthest away from Ronan's bed. His eyes followed Ronan around the room and when he'd gotten too close, he'd tensed up immediately. Hands flat on the floor, ready to push himself up and flee.

Ronan had narrowed his eyes at him. Adam had glared back at him.

It was too early to deal with this, plus, he had a pounding headache. Ronan had left him to get breakfast from the kitchen.

There he ran into Skov, who was not very subtle at trying to steal food before the rest of the crew could eat. The cook, as soon as she caught his hand on her freshly baked bread, hit him hard with her wooden spoon. Ronan smirked, he and Kavinsiky were the only two allowed to eat before the others. The cook had already prepared breakfast for him and Adam, per his request yesterday. She greeted him with a curt nod, then turned her attention back to Skov and held out her spoon as a threat.

Ronan grabbed the food and headed back to his cabin.

Adam had moved in his absence. Hands behind his back, while he eyed Ronan warily. Ronan rolled his eyes, the dagger on his desk was missing. That was his mistake. He pushed the scrolls off his table and placed the food on top of it.

"Before you kill me, at least eat something first. It'll be the last proper meal once they catch you with my blood on your hands." Ronan said.

"Who says it's you I want to kill." Adam said.

Ronan shrugged and sat down, he gestured to the empty chair across from him, and grabbed the bowl of porridge. "Sit. We need to talk."

Adam didn't budge.

"Jesus fuck just sit down so that we can finally talk, I'm not going to attack you."

He still hesitated, but then slowly, he walked towards the table and sat down. The dagger he put down on his lap. Whatever, Ronan thought and began to eat.

Slowly, Adam's hand reached for a piece of bread. His eyes on Ronan, watching his reaction. Ronan was sure, that if he'd make an unexpected move right now, he'd lose a finger or two. So, he kept his hands to himself and chewed slowly. For once, he made himself smaller instead of bigger to come off as less threatening.

He stared at Adam and saw that his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath them. His face looked pale. Adam was exhausted.

"Where did the sheets go?" Ronan asked, he nodded at the coffeepot, "That's coffee. Drink, I need you to be awake for this."

Adam looked like he was going to throw up.

"No, not for sex. Jesus, stop thinking about it for five seconds, will ye."

"Can you blame me? Yesterday your captain threatened to hand me over to the crew because you hadn't made a move on me yet!" Adam shot back.

Ronan frowned, "When did that happen?" he glanced at the empty palette. "Did you leave my cabin?"

"You threw up on my bed!"

Ronan's eyes widened, "And you thought it was a good idea to go out there on your own?" he shouted.

Adam leaned back into his chair, hands on his lap. Where the dagger was. Ronan sighed and rubbed his temples with both hands.

"Coffee." He said.

"I don't drink coffee."

Ronan glared at him, "Then you're a fool."

Adam's cheeks were suddenly a lot redder then earlier. He saw the color creep underneath the collar of his shirt… which was completely buttoned up. Jesus, this kid was scared. And here Ronan was doing it all wrong. He grabbed the two empty mugs and poured a good amount of coffee in both of them, one he placed in front of Adam, the other he put two cubes of sugar and a good amount of milk in. He hated coffee, but fuck, did he need the caffeine right now.

He watched Adam slowly pick up his cup and bring it to his mouth.

Ronan narrowed his eyes, "When you said you don't drink coffee, did you mean you've actually never had it before?"

"When you saw my dad, did he come off as someone with a high rank on our ship?" Adam shot back.

Ronan sighed, "No, I figured it was meant as an insult from your captain to send one of his lowest crewmates to do the bargain."

"Then there's your answer." Adam said, accent heavy on his tongue. It sounded nostalgic, it reminded him of his childhood, still living on the mainland with his family. He frowned, Adam didn't shy away from his glare.

Adam drank from his coffee. His hands were cupped around the porcelain cups. There were scars on them, Ronan noticed.

"Before I begin…" Ronan said, "Is there anything I can do to ensure you believe what I say?"  
"You could help me escape." Adam said.

Ronan smirked, "We're headed to the Americas, it's gonna take us at least two weeks before we get there."

Adam stared at the food.

Ronan decided he could share this piece of information, "Don't worry about the food. You'll find that things work differently on this ship. The food won't go bad."

Adam looked even more suspicious Ronan couldn't blame him. He finished his coffee and immediately went for the jug with fresh orange juice.

"What's your… job on this ship?" Adam asked.

Ronan was pouring his juice in his empty coffee mug, enjoying the look of disgust on Adam's face while doing so. He'd asked a smart question. Which told Ronan that he was an observant little fucker. Outsiders often mistook Ronan as the first mate.

"No one." He said. "I don't have a job on this ship, besides look pretty and piss off the captain." He said, then gulped down the cool drink.

Adam hadn't finished his coffee, "Are you his…" he began, unsure of what word he should use.

Ronan barked a laugh, "Fuck no. He wishes, though." He said, leaving out the fact that Kavinsiky has tried many times, to make a move on him. "Kavinsiky and I have some shared history. I know all of his secrets, he knows all of mine. We decided it would be for the best to stay close and keep an eye on each other."

"You're in a position of power, though." Adam said.

Ronan nodded, "I guess you could call me his second advisor or some shit. First mate is Prokopenko, in case you didn't notice yet." Adam had noticed, that much Ronan could tell by the look in his eyes, he decided not to dwell on it.

"So." Ronan said and put his cup down. His bowl was empty, he grabbed a banana of their tray and began to unpeel it. "About the situation you're in." he began, "I've figured out how we can please the others without actually…" he made some loose gestures with his left hand, "Y'know."

Adam just kept staring at him. Fuck, he wasn't making this easy.

"We're gonna fake it." Ronan said, he threw the peel on his bowl and ate his banana.

"Fake it." Adam repeated.

"How good are you at fake moaning?" Ronan asked, just to get a rile out of him.

Adam's blushed, he browned, obviously not happy with the joke.

"Look Parrish," Ronan said, throwing one arm over the back of his chair, "This situation sucks for the both of us," before Adam could open his smartass mouth, Ronan held up his other hand and continued, "Yes, I know it sucks harder for you." Ronan then remembered Adam still had a weapon hidden and reminded himself he shouldn't piss him off too much. "If I don't make it obvious I'm using you, they'll take you away from me. Now, the first week or so, will be easy. I can keep you here. But at some point they'll get suspicious, you'll have to show your face someday. And we're gonna have to find a way to make it look like we're doing…" he paused, Adam's blank expression didn't make it easier. "Fuck, y'know, shit." He said.

Adam's eyes traveled down Ronan's collarbone, Ronan realized, he'd left the first buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, knew that Adam was staring at the golden cross around his necklace. He sat up straight and began to button up his shirt, hiding the necklace underneath.

Adam met his gaze. "Why did he do it?" he demanded, "Why did he buy me for you? To mock your religion?"

"If anyone's mocking Christianity, it's me choosing the pirate life." Ronan said, "He did it as a prank. He saw me staring at you and figured it would get a rise out of me. Which it did, of fucking course."

"Why were you staring at me?"

Ronan wasn't going to admit he thought Adam was attractive. So, instead he pointed at his own face. Adam had a bruise on the same spot. Something that had also caught Ronan's attention two days ago.

Adam's hand went up to his face, his fingertips grazed the purple blotched skin. Ronan stared at the scars on the back of his hands. Someone had hit his hands, repeatedly with a whip, probably. Adam didn't bother defending himself, or to save some dignity. Ronan had seen his father punch him in the face. By now, the entire crew knew Adam got beaten up by his old man. He'd always be seen as weak in their eyes. And as a runner. Prove that he valued his life. Something that would be used against him if Ronan couldn't protect him.

"You say you want to fake it." Adam said, turning the empty cup in his hands around.  
"How?"

"By spending an awful lot of time together." Ronan said, "So much that you're gonna get sick of me."

Adam snorted. Ronan understood it as I'm already sick of you. He kicked him underneath the table. Which startled Adam, Ronan heard the dagger clatter on the floor. Adam's eyes went wide open. Ronan made no move for it. Adam reached under the table for it. This time he placed it on top of the table. Ronan still hadn't budged.

"And what will that do?"

Ronan shrugged, "If they see me spending a lot of time in my room, when I'm known for barely spending any time at all in here, they'll start to think things. Now, at some point, K will demand for you to get out of here. It'll only be a matter of fucking time, really," Ronan said. He rarely spoke this much, but it was best to get it all out at once, hope that Adam understood it immediately and never talk this much to each other ever again. Ronan would just dream while Adam had to keep himself occupied in here. "By then, we'll have to figure out a plan on how to make it look like we're…" he trailed off.

Adam actually managed to smile at this, it wasn't much, just the corners of his mouth going up, before he schooled his face back into something more neutral, "Fucking." Adam finished.

Ronan knew he was blushing.

"I don't like you." He said.

Adam shrugged, "Likewise."

"You're a real pain in the ass, you know that."

"I hope not."

Ronan felt his entire face heat up.

Adam looked pleased with himself. He grabbed an apple and began eating it. At least he looked more at ease. Which was something. His shoulders slumped, they both leaned back in their chairs, facing each other.

Okay, he thought. He could make this work.

 

X

 

Ronan Lynch, was exhausting. Adam learned this in the one week of living together. When Ronan had said things worked differently on this ship, Adam hadn't expected actual magic. Another secret, Ronan told him was that both he and Kavinsiky could pull things out of his dreams. This was one of the reasons why they were so close. Something, Adam hadn't believed at first.

Ronan woke him up every night, to show him what he'd dreamt. A butterfly that could glow in the dark. Diamonds that sung, clothes that fit Adam perfectly and were made of the finest material. Nothing Adam could ever afford. At first, he had refused the clothes. But then Ronan had reminded him Adam was borrowing his clothes.

Ronan had a bathroom connected to his cabin, with an actual bathtub and running water that didn't come from the sea. Adam had spent hours inside it, trying to figure out how it worked.

"Most of the shit on this ship is dreamt up." Ronan said, as if was the most normal thing in the world. Which it was, to him and everyone else on this ship. To Adam, it was all so new and confusing. Ronan had made space in one of his closets for Adam. He put his clothes in there as well as Ronan's dream objects.

Dream objects.

Jesus.

On his third day, Ronan had ordered him to get in the bed as fast as possible. Adam for a moment, had felt anxiety built up. Because Ronan had promised not to lay a hand on him, and now he was demanding him to get on the bed. He saw Ronan unbutton his shirt and at the same time heard a knock.

It was Kavinsiky, demanding Ronan to open the door.

Adam's eyes widened. They both heard the door rattle.

Ronan had locked the door.

Ronan walked with long strides towards Adam, who'd taken a few steps back, "I'm not gonna hurt you." Ronan hissed, he'd mussed up Adam's hair, ripped open his shirt and told him again, to get inside the bed. "Act like you're naked." Ronan said.

"Fuck off K!" he shouted.

"No, I won't fuck off Lynch. We're kinda in a situation upstairs, if you could stop using your dick for one second, that'd be super-duper fucking great."

Ronan pushed him towards the bed. Adam obliged. He pulled the sheets over himself and watched Ronan open the door. As soon as he did, Adam pulled the sheets up, as if he was covering naked skin instead of trousers and shoes.

Ronan's shirt was wide open, he'd unbuckled his belt and greeted Kavinsiky as if he'd hurried himself to get dressed.

"Fucking what." Ronan demanded.

Kavinsiky had to stand on his toes to look over Ronan's shoulders, his gaze fell on Adam. God, how he loathed the guy. Adam turned his face away. Hating himself just as much, for playing along. For making Kavinsiky and everyone else believe he allowed Ronan to use him like this. Ronan blocked Kavinsiky's view.

"Sorry to interrupt you on your honeymoon with your mistress."

"You're just sorry you're not allowed to join."

Kavinsiky laughed, "Whatever gives you a hard-on, man. C'mon, we need you upstairs." And with that, he left.

Ronan cast a look over his shoulder, silently asking Adam if it worked. Adam shrugged, dropping his sheets. Which made Ronan laugh, "Lock the door behind me." He said, he buttoned his shirt back up again and went after Kavinsiky.

Adam scrambled out of the bed to lock the door behind his back. He sighed in relief. Okay, okay, this could work, he thought. Two weeks, and then he'd sneak out.

Ronan returned very late, when the sun had already set. Adam had been reading, using the light of a lamp, which probably had been dreamt up because the light was an unnatural shade of white.

"There's this guy," Ronan said as a way of greeting, he sat down next to Adam on his palette. He left enough space with them. "Who lives in Virginia, ever heard of it?"

Adam nodded, that's where he'd been born. When his parents spoke of the land, they'd made it sound as if it was the most beautiful place on earth. Europeans coastlines were nothing compared to Virginia. Adam had dreamt of it, even though he had no memories of the place. When he thought of escaping the ship, he thought of going to Virginia. He had his parents accent, the pirates he's lived with before being sold, had often mocked him for his accent. He'd learned to hide it. But he'd wondered what it would have been like, to live somewhere where everyone sounded like him. Would he fit right in? Were the people of Virginia nice? Or where they all like his parents? Cold and filled with hatred towards their only son?

"He's a good friend of mine. As soon as get near land, I'll send him my raven, he can help you."

"I don't need help." Adam said.

Ronan rolled his eyes, "Ignore your pride for one second. I've seen you run that day, you run like someone who spend more time on a boat then on land. Tell me, when was the last time you spend more than a week on land?"

Adam couldn't remember. Adam had learned to walk on a ship. He'd always had a bad case of sea legs when walking on land. "It still took you an hour to catch me." He grumbled.

"Imagine how far you could have gotten without zigzagging." Ronan said, moving his hand around.

Adam pushed him.

Ronan had been taken by surprise, which is how Adam managed to push him of the palette.

"Asshole." Ronan said from the ground.

Adam smiled, pretending to read when Ronan crawled back on the palette.

"His name is Gansey. You'll like him. You're both nerds." Ronan said. "He can help you find your way on land."

Adam tried to imagine it, life on land. It sounded like a dream. None of Adam's dreams had ever come true.

"Thank you." He said.

Ronan stared at him. They were both silent for a while, then Ronan got up and went to bed.

 

X

 

On his fifth day, Ronan told him Kavinsiky was getting suspicious. Adam would have to leave the cabin. They hadn't talked about how Adam had to act around the other crew members. Both had been postponing it. Which, now that it was time to go outside, hadn't been a good idea.

Ronan kept staring at him, trying to figure out a way to make it more believable. Arms crossed, brow furrowed deep into a frown, causing a wrinkle to appear on his forehead.

"I could give you one of my shirts." Ronan said, chewing on the leather wristbands around his wrist.

Adam nodded, he felt nervous. He hated being trapped for so long but going outside was even worse. He'd have to stay close to Ronan at all times. Which only made his status more obvious. No matter what they did, everyone would see him as Ronan's pet. Someone who needed Ronan to survive on this ship. Which was the truth. Adam couldn't stand up for himself or else he'd have to face the wrath of an entire crew, alone. He hated being weak and defenseless.

Ronan picked up a shirt from the ground and threw it at Adam. Already knowing Adam was going to complain, he said, "They clean themselves." Because of fucking course, they did. He thought while burying his nose into the soft fabric. Vanilla.

Then Ronan removed one of the leather bands around his wrist and threw that too at Adam. It felt slightly damp.

"Gross."

"No complaints, it's too save your stupid ass." Then, as an afterthought, "Literally."

"You think you're so funny." Adam muttered while putting on the wristband.

"As a matter of fact, I think I'm fucking hilarious." Ronan replied.

Adam send him an unimpressed look. He headed towards the bathroom to change shirts. Some of his scars couldn't be hidden with just a shirt and a pair of trousers, but those were nothing compared to the ones on his back. He knew Prokopenko had gotten a good view of it on his first day on the ship. Which was already bad enough, he didn't need Ronan to see them as well. Just one week and a few more days, and they'd never see each other again. They didn't have to share all of their secrets. He knew Ronan had his fair share.

"A love bite!" Ronan said as soon as he entered his cabin again.

Adam's head snapped up, "What."

Ronan was blushing, something that happened often given his fair complexion. Adam wondered how he survived the harsh sun while on deck. Ronan didn't get a tan, his skin remained pale.

"Okay, I know this is gonna sound… fucked up. But hear me out-"

"I get it." Adam said, feeling uncomfortable. "I don't like it. But I get it." He said, looking down, his hands were fumbling with the shirt he'd just removed. "Uhm yeah… I-I guess it makes sense… for me to… have… those." He muttered, "Do you think it'd be less convincing, if I don't-… don't have them?" he didn't want this.

He'd actually started to get used to Ronan, he saw him as an ally. He felt comfortable around him. But this- what Ronan was implying, hit too close to why he'd gotten into this mess in the first place. Also, Adam hated bruises. He didn't know if he could look at himself in the mirror and be okay with seeing a love bite on his body.

"I've never-… fuck, I don't even…" Ronan rubbed a hand over his face. "Look, I don't fucking know. All I know is that K is already doubting me. I don't wanna find out if not having love bites will make them hurt you."

"Alright." Adam nodded, well then, "Guess… you should… uhm…" he said and gestured towards his throat. He'd seen other people do it. He'd seen them on his parents. Which, honestly, was something he'd never wanted to see. But yeah, they'd spend eighteen years living together in a cabin that used to be a closet, not a room for three people. Adam had spent a lot of nights walking around the main deck because his parents had kicked him out. And while the captain hated him because of his father's debt, some of the crewmembers were actually nice and talked to him. It hadn't always been bad.

He'd watched other crewmates their stuff while they'd got it on with women on land. Adam hadn't lived under a rock, he knew how sex worked, which signs to look for to see if someone got laid the night before.

"Call me old fashioned, but I'd always hoped I'd be doing this sort of thing with a guy I actually loved." Ronan said while walking towards him. Adam decided he didn't want to do this while standing in the middle of Ronan's cabin, he needed somewhere to lean on. To keep some of his pride intact. For a moment, Ronan was confused when Adam also began to walk. This was awkward. He thought while pressing his back against the wooden walls. Hands behind his back.

"Same here." He finally said.

Ronan stood still, watching him, he shook his head and continued walking towards Adam. Until they were both face to face. They'd never been this close. Both of them had done their best at keeping enough distance as to not give each other the wrong impression.

"Dinner will be served in an hour, that's when you'll have to leave the cabin." Ronan said, his voice soft while he began to unbutton Adam's shirt.

Adam nodded. His hands were balled into fists behind his back, his nails dug deep into the skin. He waited.

"Fuck." Ronan hissed, he dropped his head on Adam's shoulder. "I don't want to fucking do this." He said. Adam sucked in a deep breath, he could feel Ronan's breath on his skin. Too late he realized some of the scars on his back began at his shoulder. Ronan had already pulled his right sleeve down, revealing a huge amount of skin. Too much.

Ronan's gaze traveled down, his fingertips gently grazed the beginning of one scar that begun as a thin line around his collarbone and went over his shoulder, down his back.

"I've got a tattoo on my back." Ronan said.

"I've never seen it." Adam said, already out of breath.

"Later." Ronan murmured, "I'll show you later."

Adam nodded.

"You look like I'm going to stab you." Ronan said, trying to go for a joke.

Adam managed a small smile, "I kind of hoped I'd find a nice girl on the mainland who I could do this kind of stuff with, call me old-fashioned." He said.

Ronan breathed out a soft laugh, "Okay. I'm gonna do it." He said.

"I'm sure you're not supposed to say that when giving someone a love bite."

"Shut the fuck up." Ronan said, he placed one hand on Adam's hip, the other, he placed on Adam's shoulder to push away the fabric of his shirt. The shirt was too big on him anyway, it easily slipped off his shoulder, revealing more scars on his chest. So many from broken beer bottles. From a whip, because he'd disobeyed rules, too many times. Scars from his father's belt. From getting punched by fists with heavy rings on them.

There was a burn mark on his chest. There had been one similar on his back, it was barely visible underneath all the scars from the public flogging. So, they'd branded him again. On his chest, to make sure that the next time they'd have to flog him, the mark would remain intact.

So much for keeping secrets, he thought bitterly.

Ronan pressed his lips against his throat.

Adam gasped.

It was obvious, both of them were figuring this out as they went. Ronan first placed a careful kiss, before gently biting down.

Adam discovered one of Ronan's secrets at that moment as well. Slowly, he removed his hands from his back so that he could hold onto Ronan's shoulder, "You have to suck the skin." Adam whispered.

"Ah." Ronan said, his grip on Adam's hip tightened. Ronan's nose gently brushed over the tender spot, he breathed in while Adam held his breath. And then he sucked the already sensitive skin. Adam's eyes fluttered shut.

Oh, so that's what it felt like. He thought.

He chuckled softly.

Ronan pulled back, he looked confused.

Adam shook his head, still smiling, even though he felt miserable, "Sorry, it's just-… I just thought it's funny… that I'm getting a love bite before even kissing someone." He admitted. His cheeks flushed, he immediately regretted it. Because that's how pathetic his life had truly been. Adam barely got off the ship, unless it was to do business trades. More often than not, when they'd gone somewhere for entertainment, Adam had been left to guard the ship along with his parents and a few other crewmates. The others got to switch. Sometimes, his parents would also sneak out. Adam had always been too frightened of getting caught.

Ronan was staring at him, his gaze intense as always. His eyes were bluer then Portugal's seas. Ronan leaned forward, closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Adam's. His lips were gentle, they were warm and wet.

For a moment, neither of them seemed to know what to do. Then slowly, Ronan began to move his lips. And oh, okay, yeah, Adam could do that. He brought his hands up and wrapped them around Ronan's neck to pull him closer, to deepen the kiss.

Ronan seemed to know what he was doing.

So, he'd never given someone a love bite, but he did know how to kiss. At first, Adam let Ronan lead, until he got the hang of it and kissed back hard. Ronan let out a startled sound when Adam kissed back eagerly. Hands digging in his hips while Adam pulled him as close as possible-

And then, his brain short-circuited. For a moment, Adam's mind went numb. He felt nothing and thought nothing.

Then he remembered that day on the beach.

His father's voice.

"Ten pieces of gold!"

"Shit." Adam said and shoved Ronan way. "Shit. Don't touch me." He said and held up both hands. He was gasping, tears were forming in his eyes. He felt too many things at once. Frustration, fear, shame-, god it was worse than shame. He had not just kissed Ronan. Oh god. Had this been a trap? Had all of this just been a built up for Ronan to gain his trust and get into his pants?

Shit.

He couldn't believe he'd just fallen for that. Hell, he'd given in as soon Ronan brought up the love bite. Shit, shit. He was an idiot.

Chances were, Kavinsiky had known about his scheme all along- and wow.

"Adam." Ronan said.

"Don't." Adam warned him. "Shit. I can't believe I let you kiss me." He said. "God, I'm such an idiot."

"What-"

"Wow, you almost had me fooled there." Adam said, furiously looking up, "You actually had me convinced your intentions were clear. 'I don't fuck people without consent'. Is Kavinsiky waiting outside? Is that what this was all about?" Adam demanded while Ronan frowned at him, "Will everyone be cheering for you when I walk out with you?"

"I thought that was the plan yeah?" Ronan said, confused.

Fuck. It was.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fucking shit.

Adam covered his face with both his hands and cursed. When he heard Ronan get closer, he snapped, "Don't touch me!" he immediately slapped the hand away that had been trying to reach for him.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Ronan demanded.

"My problem is that my father sold me for ten golden coins to a pirate, with the intention of turning me into your pleasure slave." Adam said, shoving Ronan away. He needed distance. As much as possible. As soon as the spot between them was big enough, he darted off. Putting more distance. It was not enough.

Ronan remained still.

"And you almost had me fooled that you weren't going to use me like that." Adam shouted. Spacing around the room, he quickly buttoned up his shirt again, feeling much too exposed.

"I wasn't- that wasn't… I didn't kiss you because of-"

"Of course, you didn't." Adam said, voice low. He wiped the spot Ronan had just kissed, sure that he'd managed to leave a mark there.

"I don't lie!" Ronan shouted.

Adam snorted.

Ronan punched the wall.

Adam refused to flinch.

"Whatever. I'm leaving. Be ready in an hour for dinner." Ronan said and stormed out of his cabin.

For a moment, Adam thought of going after him. He thought of confessing to the entire crew that until today, Ronan Lynch had never laid a hand on him. In fact, he was fairly certain that Ronan Lynch, at the tender age of eighteen years old, was still a virgin. Even though he lived on a pirate ship. And all pirates cared about was themselves, money, rum and whores. So, honestly, that would make him the most pathetic pirate of all the seven seas-….

Adam stormed into the bathroom, he locked the door behind his back and slid down. He curled up into himself and pushed back the tears. He wasn't going to cry.

He was an idiot.

He felt dirty. Used.

Ten pieces of gold. That's how much he was worth.

Ten pieces of gold, for a lifetime of whoring himself out to survive.

Ten pieces of gold and his father no longer cared about the fact that his son would be a sodomite.  
.

.

.

Ronan picked him up an hour later. At first, he thought about leaving the bathroom door locked. See how desperate Ronan was to show him around. Like a trophy.

He'd go outside, and everyone would be looking at him, thinking that he and Ronan had sex.

Ronan said nothing when Adam unlocked the door. They walked in silence. When he finally paid attention to where they were going, Adam noticed that they weren't headed to where everyone else was having dinner.

Ronan had brought him towards Kavinsiky's headquarters.

Adam froze as soon as he realized.

Kavinsiky sat at the head of his table, to his right sat Prokopenko. There were others around the table, a small group of captain Kavinsiky and four other men. Two empty seats were left on Kavinsiky's left side.

Ronan had stopped as well and stared at him, "What are you doing?" he demanded, voice unkind. Adam didn't know if he was faking it or if he was still pissed off about their fight. Either way, he knew he didn't like it. He suddenly realized that it was seven against one if he decided to act out.

No matter what, Adam was in trouble.

What a fool he'd been. To believe Ronan had been on his side.

"Daww sweetie, what's wrong?" Kavinsiky asked in a mocking tone, the look he send Adam was nothing but vulgar. He felt a shiver run down his spine.

"He's being an asshole. That's what's wrong." Ronan said, scowling.

Adam glared back at him.

"Jesus, Lynch. I thought you'd have trained him by now." The guy sitting next to Prokopenko said.

Adam wanted to throw up.

Ronan walked up to him, Adam immediately took a step back. Behind Ronan, he felt six pairs of eyes on him. Ronan grabbed his wrist, his grip tight enough to hurt while he pulled Adam towards him to whisper in his left ear.

Adam couldn't hear him.

Shit.

Standing so close with an audience was already bad enough. Ronan still looked angry, but there was also something else in his eyes while he stared at Adam. His eyes seemed to be searching for something.

He was waiting for Adam's answer.

Adam didn't even know what he'd asked.

When he said nothing, Ronan narrowed his eyes at him again. He began to move back towards the table, his grip much lighter, but he still didn't let go.

Adam had no choice but to follow and take the seat next to him.

Adam had never had dinner with his captain, let alone with any higher up on a ship. He kept his head down, but his eyes darted around. He saw the men just grab whatever they pleased, only Prokopenko seemed to bother using a fork, everyone else used their hands. Adam watched them interact. The hierarchy on Kavinsiky's ship was different than what Adam had ever seen before. Ronan kept insulting him while the others laughed. The other five men sitting on either side of Kavinsiky, dared to question his ideas and Kavinsiky, while complaining through it, listened. He argued back, insulted them for low life scum, but none of his men seemed bothered by this.

That is, until Kavinsiky said, "We're only stopping in the Americas for two days, then it's straight back to the Caribbean's."

"You said a week." Ronan said, anger in his voice. Adam didn't look up, he'd barely touched the food Ronan had put on his plate. He knew why Ronan was upset. He'd explained the plan to get Adam out to him a dozen times. In order for it to work, they needed at least a week. Ronan had to ensure his friend Gansey got his letter before letting Adam go. Otherwise, Adam would be left stranded in a place he knew nothing of.

Adam already began to form a new plan in his head. He could work, once the ship had set sail again. He'd earn money, enough to stay in an inn until this Gansey guy showed up. And honestly, even without him, Adam would find a way to survive. He could read, he was good with his hands, he had a wide vocabulary, he was a quick learner. Things could come in handy when finding work on the mainland, or so he'd been told.

"Oh, cry me a river, Lynch." Kavinsiky spat back, "It's cuz we have a lead on that Greenmantle guy you've been obsessing over ever since your daddy kicked the bucket."

If Ronan had been pissed off earlier, he was furious now. Ready to strike. This was new information, Adam finally looked up to stare at Ronan's face, then at Kavinsiky. When their gaze met, Kavinsiky's eyes narrowed.

"Two days aren't enough to meet up with his brothers." Prokopenko said. While everyone turned their heads to stare at him, Adam chose to look at Ronan. Ronan had never talked about his family. The name Greenmantle had never fallen inside his cabin.

Adam had heard of the name before, though.

Greenmantle was a very respected salesman. He had ships all over the seven seas. Even Adam's old captain had an insane huge amount of respect for the man's business. What did that have to do with Ronan?

"You could always stay of course. Move back into that pathetic excuse of a farm of yours." Kavinsiky continued, nonchalant, he drank from his rum, straight from the bottle. He then threw the bottle at Adam.

Adam managed to duck just in time. The bottle hit his chair, his right ear barely picked up the sound of glass shattering to pieces. They flew past his head. There had still been liquid in the bottle, most of it fell on Adam.

Ronan shot out of his chair. It happened too fast. Adam's ear was ringing, he stood up from his chair. Glass cracked beneath his boots, his entire body was trembling. What happened? How did things escalate like this? What had he done wrong? Everyone else also stood up, their hands on their weapons while staring at Ronan who had the point of his knife pressed against Kavinsiky's throat.

Kavinsiky held his hand up towards his crewmates. "Do you think I'm an idiot, princess?" Kavinsiky spat.

Adam needed a moment to figure out Kavinsiky was talking to Ronan and not him.

"You want to give him to your brothers, don't you?" he asked. "For months, you don't talk of them, and now all of sudden you want to spend a week over there so that you can a have heartbreaking reunion with your beloved brothers? Probably even visit a local church, while you're at it, huh?" he demanded, not bothered at all by the tip of a knife pressed into his throat. His skin broke underneath the tip and blood trickled down his throat. This was insane, Adam thought while staring at Kavinsiky.

Kavinsiky was insane.

"I told you my mother is ill, you sick bastard." Ronan spat.

"And your reunion with her is more important than revenge?" Kavinsiky pushed Ronan's hand away, Ronan pulled his hand back, he didn't loosen his grip on the weapon, though, he still looked ready to strike. This was a very different side of Ronan; one Adam had only caught glimpses of. He figured it was for the best to stay on his good side, since Ronan was the only person who could get him out of this place. "Face it, Lynch. You've gone soft. Tell me, whore." He said, this time addressing Adam, "Are you the one who does the fucking?" the others in the room, for once did not laugh. Everyone held their breath. They all seemed to know of what Kavinsiky was capable of, once he was angry.

Adam didn't want to find out what everyone else was thinking. He glanced at Ronan. Unsure of what to do.

"He's not allowed to speak unless I give him my permission." Ronan said.

Adam glared at him.

"Ah yes, you've been awfully mute this dinner. Usually there's a lot more begging coming out of your mouth."

Ronan punched him.

Kavinsiky laughed while rubbing his jaw, he spat right in front of Ronan's boots.

"We're only staying for two days. You can stay if you miss your family so much. He stays." He said and nodded towards Adam.

"He goes where I go." Ronan said.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?" Kavinsiky demanded.

"Yes."

Furious, Kavinsiky turned his attention to the other men in the room who'd remained quiet the entire time they fought. "Leave." He said, voice cold, he left no room for arguments. "Take the slave with you." He told Prokopenko.

"No, he's not going anywhere with my slave." Ronan said, he pointed at Adam, "Don't move."

Adam wanted to protest, he wasn't going to let Ronan order him around. He saw Prokopenko walk towards him and realized there wasn't much arguing to be done. Prokopenko only listened to one person. He was loyal to his captain.

Adam should have kept the bathroom door locked.

"We need to talk." Kavinsiky said. "I don't want him here. He already knows way too fucking much."

"And who's fault is that, you fuckweasel?" Ronan snapped. "You couldn't even keep your mouth shut for one hour." He pointed his knife at Prokopenko who'd gotten close enough to Adam to touch him. "Don't fucking touch him."

"Possessive much." Kavinsiky grunted.

"Shut up for one fucking second." Ronan said. "I'll bring him back to my room. We'll talk after."

Kavinsiky didn't stop him.

Ronan wasted no time, he went straight to Adam, grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the captain's cabin. Adam had trouble keeping up with his quick space. He stumbled three times, he heard Kavinsiky laugh behind him.

Ronan all but pushed him back into his cabin, he locked the door behind him. Adam feared he was going to get hurt.

Ronan didn't even go near him. he grabbed the first thing within reach and threw it at the wall. It made an unsatisfying soft thud and fell on the ground. Ronan kicked it.

He turned around to face Adam, "Go to the bathroom. Lock the door."

Adam knew he did a poor job at hiding how frightened he truly was. "What if someone breaks the door down?" he asked.

Ronan glared at him, "Scream loud enough so that I can hear you."

And with that, he left.

 

 

X

 

 

They broke down Ronan's cabin door but left the bathroom door intact. Ronan had told him it had happened before and that he shouldn't worry. Kavinsiky had been mad, had send his warning and that was it.

"What kind of relationship do you have with Kavinsiky anyway?" Adam asked.

"A toxic one." Ronan replied.

Adam nodded. "You're staying because you want revenge." He said, "And Kavinsiky is the only way to get it?"

Ronan had nodded.

"He'd doesn't want to let you go. He's obsessed with you."

Ronan glared at him.

Adam stared him down.

"You're just as much a prisoner as I am." He said.

"No." Ronan shook his head, "Because I can fight back."

Adam looked away then. Back pressed against the wall while he stared at the blue ocean.

 

 

X

 

 

Ronan still wrote his letter to Gansey. He send his raven and told it, it would have to wait for him to return.

Adam watched him, he could see land. Because they were only staying for two days, they had to chose a spot much closer to the cities. Usually Kavinsiky chose a spot that was half a day walk away. The Americas were unsafe land for pirates.

They both stood on deck, watching land grow bigger and bigger. Ronan let his raven go. It flew off towards the trees they could see in the distance. Neither of them said anything. Adam let the wind ruffle his hair while he watched Ronan's raven grow smaller and smaller.

"I'm deaf in my left ear." He said.

Ronan turned his head, surprise written on his face.

Adam didn't meet his gaze. "I can't hear anything. It's why I have trouble keeping my balance sometimes."

Silence.

Adam sighed. It had been the first time he'd said this out loud. His father had punched him, he'd been standing in front of the stairs that led below deck. No one else had seen it happen. No one else had seen Adam tumble down the stairs. His left ear had hit the wooden floor hard. First, all he could hear was ringing and then it stopped.

It had taken him days to find his footing again. He'd learned how to walk on ships. His entire life, he'd walked on ships. Becoming deaf in one ear had thrown all of those years out of the window. Suddenly he had to teach himself again. And what a stressful thing that was. Learning how to walk on a ship again without anyone finding out.

The first three days, he kept getting seasick.

He'd only had the injury for a month now. Only his mother knew. She'd first thought he'd been ignoring people, then figured it out. She'd put the blame on him.

"We would have paid our debt back by now, weren't it for you." She'd said.

"And here I thought you were just clumsy as fuck." Ronan finally said.

Adam smiled softly.

"What did you write in the letter?" Adam asked. He'd told about his plan. That he could wait for Gansey. That, even without Gansey, he'd find a way to get by. Ronan had shaken his head, it was too dangerous. Adam didn't know where to go. He didn't speak their languages. He knew nothing of what it was like, to live on land. They'd see right through him.

"Once they see your brand, they'll hang you." He said. "Once I take care of Greenmantle, my deal with K ends. We'll go back together."

"How long will that be?"

"I told him I'm coming home in two months." Ronan said.

Someone walked past them, Ronan placed his hand on Adam's hip. They were getting better at faking it. Two weeks of spending so much time together, had made it easier for them to figure each other out. Ronan knew when Adam didn't want to be touched. He knew how to warn Adam without words that he was going to anyway because people were eyeing him.

"Look submissive or some shit." Ronan whispered.

"Tell me about your childhood home." Adam said, his voice soft. He didn't want anyone to overhear them. He'd learned that people didn't mind them whispering. Kavinsiky would just shout to keep it in their pants and everyone else would laugh. Ronan would flip him off, and the conversation around them would continue.

Adam hated being above deck, where everyone could see them, just as much as he hated being locked up in Ronan's cabin.

He hated the fact that they were all eyeing him like a piece of meat, rather than a human being. He knew, a lot of crewmates were waiting for Ronan to let him go. Kavinsiky never stopped reminding him of the position he was in. Whispering one lewd thing after another in his ears. Adam didn't know what was worse; Kavinsiky whispering in his left ear where he couldn't hear it, or in his right.

"You'll see it when we get there." Ronan said.

"We?"

"Unless you're already bored of me." Ronan said, "But I figured the Barns would be the best option for you. I could give you a job there." Ronan sighed, "At least until you've earned enough and can go somewhere else."

"It's way better plan then what I could come up with." Adam nodded. It sounded nice, he'd seen farms. It looked like a peaceful life, busy, but peaceful.

"What was your plan?" Ronan asked.

"Sell all of your dream objects." Adam said, he smiled.

Ronan's hand left his side so that he could poke it. Adam squirmed away, he pushed the hands coming for his sides away, smiling while Ronan cursed and called him a spoiled asshole.

Ronan stopped, his smile was gone, back was his usual frown while he stared at something on the ship. Adam followed his gaze, not surprised at all, to see Kavinsiky staring back at them.

The ship begun to slow down. Adam turned his attention back to the land in front of them, how close they'd gotten in just a few minutes. He'd missed it. The trees and sand. Ships were boring. In fact, Adam hated living on a boat. He'd always wanted to live on land, in a house. Get a job, something honest. That wouldn't cost him his head.

"C'mon," Ronan said, urging him to follow him to the smaller boat that would bring them to land.

"The slave is staying." Kavinsiky shouted from where he stood.

As if a bucket of cold water had been emptied over his head.

"He belongs with me." Ronan said. "Wherever I go, he goes."

"Not here." Kavinsiky said, "His parents also came from this land." He continued while walking towards them, "He knows his way around. He might escape."

"Do you think I can't handle him?" Ronan asked, frowning.

Adam remained quiet, he stared at the land in front of him. At the trees, there was a city, just behind it. So close, yet so far out of reach.

Kavinsiky and Ronan kept arguing. Something, Adam by now, had gotten used to. It usually led to nothing.

"At least let me set foot on the beach." Adam said, interrupting them. Both men stared at him, Kavinsiky didn't look very happy by the fact he'd just gotten interrupted by someone like Adam. He hesitated, but Ronan didn't stop him, nor did he see a warning in his face, so Adam continued, "I-… I promise I'll stay in sight. I just… I really want to get of this ship. Even if it's just for one minute." He said.

Kavinsiky stared him down. Adam didn't back down. He held his ground.

"No."

"K, don't be an ass." Ronan said.

"He can walk on Jamaican ground. Not American."

Ronan looked like he wanted to punch him.

"If I leave him, how can I ensure your men will leave him alone?" Ronan asked.

Kavinsiky shrugged, "Ask them nicely."

Ronan was definitely going to punch him. Adam could see him ball his hands up into fists. He couldn't fight back the enormous rush of disappointment going over him. He felt it low in his guts, as if he'd swallowed an entire brick. He stared back at the land.

"Tell your first mate he can watch him. If he refuses, Parrish is going with me."

"I'll give you Skov."

Ronan scowled, he glanced at Adam, "Fine."

Adam opened his mouth to protest, Ronan glared at him. Without words, he told Adam to shut-up. Adam was getting sick and tired of having to do everything Ronan asked him to in order to survive. He shut-up. Kavinsiky smirked.

"If I find out someone touched him, I'm burning this ship down." Ronan said.

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you, princess."

"Nor does it on you." Ronan spat. "Go to my cabin. I'll find Skov." He told Adam.

Adam nodded and left.


	2. Chapter 2

Their third week together began with Adam having a nightmare. He dreamt of his father's voice, screaming at him to confess. While Adam stood still unable to speak or move.

Confess!

Confess!

His father kept shouting.

When he couldn't, he felt fingers wrap around his biceps, his wrist, his thighs. He felt invisible hands strip him of his shirt. The sky was an unnatural bright blue color. It was all he could look at; the color made his eyes burn. Made tears roll over his cheeks. His throat felt swollen, he found it hard to swallow. His captain was both behind him and before him.

"Last chance, boy."

But he didn't do anything. When he looked at his mother, he saw her hide something behind her back.

He woke up before the whip could touch his back.

Adam sat up too fast. He had to blink a couple of times to get rid of the white spots in his vision. It took him a while before he remembered where he was. Inside Ronan's cabin. It was still dark outside, from where he sat, he had a good view of the sea and the endless night sky. He listened to the sound of waves. He breathed in and tried to calm himself down. His heart was still beating rapidly in his chest. Adam had always found it easier to calm down when they went ashore somewhere with trees. He much more, preferred the sounds of leaves rustling in the wind than the sound of waves. Ironic, one might say. A pirate who didn't like the sea.

Adam hadn't chosen this life style though. He'd much more preferred to stay on land. Had loved the few occasional trips into deep forests. Sure, he'd also been sweating from the sun while carrying a shovel or a chest around. Ready to bury whatever secret his captain had.

He breathed in deeply. Once he calmed down a bit, he realized how cold it was. He'd been sweating. Adam sighed, the shirt he slept in was too big on him. He easily slipped his hand under the collar to touch the scars which began on his shoulder.

He curled up on himself, his fingers kept tracing the beginning of a scar. It felt disgusting.

"Parrish?"

When he turned his head, he saw Ronan had woken up too. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He could make out the silhouette of Ronan, sitting up in his bed. His voice had sounded rough from sleep.

"Can't sleep." Adam muttered.

Ronan said nothing. Adam heard him exhale loudly. Ronan threw the sheets off, he crawled towards the edge of his bed to light up the candle he kept on his nightstand. Adam removed his hand from his shoulder. By the time Ronan had turned the light towards him, Adam sat cross legged, he tried to act nonchalant. Even though his heart still hadn't calmed down.

"Do they hurt?" Ronan asked, squinting past the light at him.

Adam needed a moment to progress the question, he blinked, "Sometimes." He admitted, even though it was much more than sometimes.

Ronan nodded, "I've got something for that, one second."

"It's fine." Adam said.

Ronan had made a move to get up, but he stopped. "You're fine?" he echoed.

Adam said nothing, instead he stared Ronan down. Not in the mood to start a fight.

"Whatever." Ronan muttered, he got up. He walked past Adam's palette towards his desk, where he put the candle down again. Adam watched him ruffle through the mess on top of it. Two scrolls fell off the desk, quickly followed by the loud thud from an ink bottle that chased after them. Ronan cursed; he didn't pick it up.

When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he cursed some more. He scratched the back of his head and bend down to look underneath the desk. He opened a drawer, left it open and cursed some more. The other one also didn't seem to contain what he was looking for.

He twirled around. As if the lost item would suddenly appear out of nowhere. His gaze fell on Adam. "Did you go through my stuff?"

"I didn't steal anything." Adam replied; his mind immediately went back to his dream from earlier. His mother hiding the piece of dried meat behind her skirt. They hadn't eaten for days. Adam felt his heart beating in his chest.

"I'm not accusing you of stealing. I'm accusing you of cleaning up my cabin."

Ah, Adam was guilty of that. Still. "Only the floor."

"Where the fuck…" Ronan said, he placed his hand on both hips. Continuing the conversation, he'd been having with himself earlier while searching. The conversation was mostly Ronan cursing to himself.

His gaze landed on his closet. Ronan strode towards it in three big steps. He threw clothes on the ground while he searched for something on the bottom. Adam's mouth turned into a thin line, staring at the mess he made. Finally, Ronan found what he was looking for. He made a triumphant sound and held up the unknown object in the air.

He threw it at Adam. Adam caught it. It felt cold to the touch, when he squinted at it, he saw it was a small jewelry box.

No, it wasn't. Ronan padded towards Adam's palette. He carried his candle with him, so that when Adam opened the small silver box, he saw that it had some sort of ointment in it. It smelled like trees. He tried to discreetly sniff at it again. Was it normal to feel homesick for something he barely knew?

He remembered the day Kavinsiky bought him. How he'd ran through the trees. The green that went by in a blur.

"D'you need help?" Ronan asked.

"Huh?"

"Your back?" Ronan offered, sheepish. Adam had to look twice before he realized Ronan was blushing. He blinked.

He was holding ointment.

Ronan had asked him about his scars.

Adam's hand self-consciously rubbed the tip of a scar beginning at his shoulder. "No." he said, "I'm good, actually."

Ronan stared at him, not impressed. "We've all got our scars, Parrish." He mumbled.

Adam's heart thumped loudly. He licked his lips and looked down at the box he was holding. Slowly, with trembling hands he handed it over to Ronan.

Ronan took it. Neither of them said anything while Adam turned around slowly. His legs crossed as he sat, facing Ronan's unmade bed. The only proper source of light coming from the candle next to Adam's palette. The moon was small that night and far away. If he listened close enough, he could hear the sound of the waves.

Adam glanced at the candle.

He'd wanted to keep them a secret.

He shook his head, so much for keeping things a secret. Adam sighed. He removed the shirt he was wearing.

Ronan made no sound.

Adam wondered if the light of the candle made them look more gruesome. Or was it the opposite? Did it hide some of the ugliness?

So lost in his thoughts, the first time Ronan touched him came as a shock. He inhaled loudly.

"Sorry." Ronan murmured.

Adam shook his head.

Ronan waited a few more seconds. Then, he continued rubbing the ointment onto Adam's back. He knew the gashes went deep. That they were long ugly things. Covering his entire back in an ugly design. 

Another mark his captain had left. Something else to haunt Adam's dreams.

"I don't want to talk about it." Adam whispered.

"Now or ever?" Ronan whispered back. His hand dipped low, close to Adam's waistband. Adam's back went rigid.

Ronan hushed him, "I'm not gonna touch you where you don't want me to."

The cold ointment felt like a blessing against his warm skin. He'd gotten so used to the soreness in his back, this felt like heaven. When Ronan was finished, he guided Adam's body so that he was facing him. He put some ointment on Adam's left hand and started massaging it into the dry skin.

Adam felt shivers run down his spine.

Ronan did the same with the other hand.

When he was finished, Adam turned to face him. They both looked up. Both of them quiet as they stared at each other. The candle flickered next to them. It cast dark shadows over Ronan's face. It made his features appear even sharper. Light danced across his face. He was beautiful like this, Adam thought. Strikingly handsome.

When Ronan breathed out, Adam felt his breath ghost over his face. Ronan's gaze trailed down Adam's face, towards his lips.

Kavinsiky had bought Adam because he'd seen Ronan checking him out. Was it vain to wonder if being in the same room as Adam was like torture? To spend all of that time together, but being unable to make a move?

Ronan's gaze landed on the brandmark.

He reached out to touch it. Adam held his breath.

The light flickered again.

Someone crashed into the door. Both boys pulled apart, as if caught doing something they shouldn't. Their heads turned towards the door. Ronan had locked it so that no one could get in. Much to Swan's annoyance.

"Lynch, you're needed above deck!" he shouted.

"It's fuck'o clock the morning!" Ronan shouted back.

"Yeah, and you sound wide awake. C'mon!"

Ronan threw the first thing he could get his hands on at the door. Which had been the box with ointment. The case was made of something strong. It didn't break, miraculously. Probably another dream thing, Adam thought.

Swan banged loudly on the door. Most likely waking up the entire ship.

Ronan cursed and got up. He stormed towards the door, unlocked it and yanked it open.

Ronan was only wearing his night shirt, Adam sat half-dressed on his palette. Both of them awake. Swan's eyes raked over him. Adam quickly put on his shirt again.

"Sorry for interrupting." Swan said, sounding amused. His voice made a shiver run down Adam's spine.

"Shut-up, as if you're ever fucking sorry." Ronan said. He turned around so that he could put on the first pair of trousers he found. He also put on a coat.

"Lock the door behind my back." he said more out of habit than anything. Adam obliged. Once he left, the room fell quiet again. He could hear them talk outside, but their voices and footsteps slowly faded away. Adam turned to look at the candle near his palette.

It flickered.

And then it went out.

.

.

.

The next day, Adam made the mistake of trying to help. Ronan's presence had been required above deck. Adam had trailed after him. Spending so much time inside the cabin had made him anxious. 

Kavinsiky had beckoned for them to get closer. He completely ignored Adam. Ronan's arms had been crossed in front of his chest while he listened to Kavinsiky. He didn't look very impressed. When Ronan didn't give much response to Kavinsiky's taunts, their captain became annoyed. He made lame jokes, which usually would have made Ronan annoyed as well. But Ronan was tired that morning. Kavinsiky only got an eyeroll as response.

Adam watched Kavinsiky grow more frustrated.

He had no interest in watching this ship wreck, so he'd turned to watch the crew move around deck. When he saw two men struggling with some rope connected to the sails, he left Ronan's side to offer his help.

They made some crude jokes at him, but once he offered to help and proved that he knew what he was doing, they let him. His hands burned from not using them for weeks.

Kavinsiky only noticed he'd left their side after fifteen minutes had already passed. He'd stalked towards them, furious. Not because Adam had left Ronan's side, but more likely because Ronan had been dozing off while Kavinsiky spoke.

Which is how Ronan was also too late from stopping Kavinsiky.

The captain backhanded Adam in the face and demanded to know why Adam disobeyed orders. "Your only purpose on this ship is to look pretty and stay by your master's side."

The men, who'd been happy with Adam's help, dog whistled loudly. So much for gratefulness, he thought bitterly.

His cheek stung. Getting hit like that triggered other memories to resurface. Adam refused to show any sign of weakness in front of all of these men. Though he had to admit, it was a struggle. A lump formed itself in his throat. He felt the same kind of dread built up in his chest from when he still lived with his parents.

The nightmare from that night, didn't make things easier.

Ronan pushed through the crowd. He stood between Kavinsiky and Adam. "Stop touching my stuff!" he snarled.

"I wouldn't have to, if you'd keep a better eye on your dog."

"He ran off 'cuz you were boring him to death."

Adam knew Ronan had a lot of privileges on this ship. But he was certain that talking back like this to your captain while the rest of the crew was watching, was never a good idea. Kavinsiky seemed to think so too. His face grew more furious. Ronan's hands balled into fists.

Adam usually wasn't one to stop fights. He kept his distance and did not get involved.

He did not want to find out where the crew's loyalty lay, though. Adam wrapped his fingers around Ronan's wrist. Which immediately made him turn around. His gaze fell on Adam's swollen cheek.

"Jesus fuck, K." Ronan cursed.

"Look what you did captain," Swan shouted, "How's he gonna make Lynch happy now? We're probably gonna have to wire his jaw shut."

"He's got another hole for Lynch to use." Kavinsiky shot back. Adam was glad he hadn't been staring at Kavinsiky. Just listening to his voice sounded vulgar enough.

Ronan tensed, he would have turned around and punched Kavinsiky in the face, had Adam not tightened his grip around his wrist.

"Can we go back?" he asked softly. His gaze downcast. Humiliation burned his cheeks.

Ronan sighed, "Does it hurt badly?" he asked.

He had a pounding headache. His cheek was throbbing. The lump in his throat only seemed to grow bigger and all he wanted to do was hide somewhere.

He kept his face neutral and shook his head.

Ronan tsked. He cast one nasty look over his shoulder at Kavinsiky and then dragged Adam with him.

"Ohh, can't wait to find out if he's still useful eh!" Swan shouted. When Adam looked at him over his shoulder, he saw Proko elbow him in the ribs.

Adam turned his head so that he could see where he was walking. Behind him, Kavinsiky shouted at the crew to get back to work.

Once inside Ronan's cabin, Ronan turned to face him. He was mad. But his touch was gentle as he placed his fingers on Adam's jaw. He turned it around to see the difference between both cheeks.

"Your dad punched you that day." Ronan said.

Adam tensed up. He hadn't expected that. He shrugged out of Ronan's hold.

"It wasn't the first time." not a question. Ronan had observed Adam. After gathering information, he'd come to this conclusion.

Aside from the bathroom, there was nowhere for Adam to go. He was trapped. A realization he had multiple times a day. And each time he thought of it, he felt the weight of those words trying to push him down.

Adam breathed in.

He met Ronan's gaze.

He was trapped. But it was different than his previous life. Here he had one ally. He had a goal. They were going to run away from this ship. Adam would get a second chance.

"Why does it matter?"

"You survived that." Ronan said, surprising Adam, "Don't forget that."

"I won't." Adam promised, he narrowed his eyes at Ronan, "Kavinsiky is just another asshole I'll deal with until I get out."

Ronan nodded; a pleased smile appeared on his face. He turned his back towards Adam and walked towards his bed. He dropped down on it, face first.

Adam hesitated, he stood still near the door. His palette looked as uncomfortable as ever. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Ronan struggle with getting out of his boots and coat, unwilling to sit up. He threw his stuff on the floor.

The room was beginning to look like a mess again.

Adam felt tired.

He walked towards the bed and sat down on the other side. Ronan looked at him but said nothing. So, Adam relaxed a bit. He leaned against the headboard.

Ronan finally sat up. He faced Adam and held out his hand. Adam, confused, offered his own hand in return. When Ronan curled his fingers into Adam, he was even more confused until he pressed Adam's thumb down with his own.

"It's called thumb wrestling, Parrish." He said, as if talking to an idiot. "And you lost."

"I don't know the game." Adam replied, he sat up straighter. Now he too was facing Ronan properly.

Ronan smirked, he explained the rules of thumb wrestling there weren't a lot and they were easy to understand.

"If anything, this just proves we've spent way too much time inside this cabin." Adam said, beating Ronan for the first time.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me." Ronan mumbled; his eyes devoid of any emotion.

.

.

.

Ronan woke up in the middle of the night. His throat felt dry. His face was stuffed into something hairy and his body wrapped around something warm. He blinked a couple of times.

He had a headache, as if he'd woken up from a one-hour nap instead of falling asleep for a few hours.

Once he became fully aware of his surroundings, he realized he'd been hugging Adam to his chest. Adam lay with his back towards him, curled up in a small ball. His breathing came out slow and even.

When Ronan moved to get out of bed, Adam's breathing remained calm. Not even a few days ago, Adam would have woken up by now. Ronan tried to be as quiet as possible, even the smallest sound could wake Adam after all. Just because he remained asleep now wouldn't mean he'd stay asleep while Ronan moved around.

Which is why Ronan didn't put on a candle as he padded towards his desk. He'd left some water there. While he drank from his cup, Adam moved in his sleep. He turned around. Ronan watched him move in the dark. He watched Adam breathe in deeply, his arm stretched out on the empty spot next to him. Ronan's side.

Once his cup was empty, Ronan refilled it and walked back towards his bed. He figured it'd be impossible to crawl back in bed without Adam waking up. Unless he took the palette. Which he sure as hell wasn't going to do.

Adam breathed in through his nose when Ronan pushed his hand out of his way. A soft sound escaped past his lips. It made Ronan's heart ache. He immediately felt guilt built up for feeling this way. Had he not been attracted to Adam, none of this would have happened.

If he hadn't he felt this kind of attraction towards Adam, Adam would have still been a prisoner. Just on a different boat.

"W'time issit?" Adam breathed out, sounding only half awake. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Ass o'clock in the morning. Go back to sleep." Ronan said.

"M'thirsty." Adam mumbled, he squinted his eyes and stared outside. It was a calm night. The sea had been kind to them. But for how long? He thought while he handed Adam the cup of water.

Adam blinked at it. He took it and mumbled a soft thank you.

When the cup was half empty, he handed it back to Ronan. Ronan put it on his nightstand. He watched Adam stare at the palette. Ronan sighed; he lay back down. "You can stay."

"There's no one here." Adam replied.

"So?"

"We've got nothing to prove."

Ronan didn't reply to that. He wanted Adam here. It reminded him of his life back in Singer Falls. His younger brother Mathew crawling into bed with him because of a storm. Or after his father's dead, when Gansey had crawled into bed with him after another nightmare. Even though Ronan had warned him of his dreams. Gansey had insisted. He'd held a crying Ronan.

God, how much he'd changed since then.

Gansey would have hated the man he'd become.

Adam lay down next to him. His body further away than earlier. Ronan didn't mention it. Adam lay on his side, facing Ronan. His hands tucked underneath his pillow.

Ronan lay down on his back, one hand beneath his head, the other on his stomach. He turned his head towards Adam. Adam met his gaze. He smiled at Ronan. A close-mouthed smile, but it was there.

"K also has a burn mark." Ronan whispered. It was late, the kind of late meant for confessions.

Adam hummed. The smile disappeared. That was okay, Ronan didn't expect anything less. It got replaced by a calculating look. "Branded for being a pirate."

"He'll hang if he gets caught." Adam whispered.

"All of us will." Ronan hesitated, "I've never seen one like yours."

"My captain used to handle livestock." Adam looked away when he said this. "He used to brand them. So that people would know they belonged to him. It's the only habit he'd kept from his previous life."

Ronan held his breath.

"In the Americas, there are masters who brand their slaves. He liked the idea of it." Adam's voice sounded devoid of any emotion. "My father owed him money. Until that debt was repaid with interest, we'd belong to him. I was five when I got it." he raised his hand to rub a spot behind his back. "They did it again when I was fifteen."

"Why?"

"'Cuz you couldn't see the old one on my back anymore."

Ronan thought of the scars running on Adam's back. "Jesus, Mary and Josef." He exhaled.

"My parents stole food. We had to… sometimes days would go by without us getting any food. They always said I was the one who did it. So, I was the one who got punished."

Ronan let this new information sink in. Adam sounded so tired when he told this story. As if Ronan asked him after the weather for the tenth time.

Ronan cursed.

Adam breathed out, "It could have been worse."

"Worse?" Ronan hissed, "Jesus, Parrish? Did they punch you in the head too often?"

"My mother was the only female on that ship." Adam replied. "So yeah, it could have been worse." Adam turned around. He curled up in a ball again. His shoulders pulled up high.

When Ronan tried to reach out to him, Adam tensed up more. He hesitated; his hand hovered over Adam's shoulders. He thought of Gansey not giving up on him. Ronan pushed through. He curled up behind Adam, wincing at how tense Adam felt. He mirrored their positions from earlier. His arm wrapped around Adam's stomach.

He began to count. If Adam still felt tense after half a minute, he'd let go. Mutter an apology and pretend this hadn't happened.

Ten seconds had passed when he felt a shaky hand intertwine their fingers. Adam let out a wobbly breath. He sniffled.

"I'm here." Ronan said, hearing Gansey's voice in his head. It felt different when he said it. Less convincing, more like a child repeating something they'd heard. Adam had heard it too. He snorted. But he didn't push him away. He leaned into Ronan's touch.

"This doesn't change anything." Adam said.

"Of course not, we still hate each other." Ronan agreed.

"Obviously." Adam said, unable to hide the amusement in his voice.

.

.

.

Kavinsiky was talking. His gaze turned towards the land before them. The crew were preparing the shallops. They'd make up camp on the beach. In the morning, they'd head into the town where Greenmantle was last spotted.

He'd planned it all ahead. In less than two days, Ronan would be forever grateful to Kavinsiky for helping him. Thus, said Kavinsiky. Ronan was giving him an unimpressed look. He rolled his eyes while Kavinsiky kept on talking.

Ronan looked at Adam. Adam had the first buttons of his shirts unbuttoned. This had been done on purpose. To show off the trail of hickeys leading down his chest. An awkward thing to do. By the time Ronan was done, Adam had been half hard. He'd pushed Ronan away as soon as he was done and hid in the bathroom until it was time to go above deck.

Kavinsiky had looked at Adam as if he was the filth beneath his shoe. Once. Then he'd looked anywhere but at Adam. With no words, he made it clear Adam was not even worthy to be looked at. He was an object to be used whenever Ronan pleased.

Part of Ronan felt proud, that Adam, a beautiful boy belonged to him. That he listened to him. The other part, which was much larger than the other, felt disgusted. If anyone on this ship was filth, it was Ronan. It made him feel sick to the stomach when he took advantage of Adam like that. His body betrayed him more often than not. He loved the taste of Adam's skin. Whenever Adam's breath itched, he felt butterflies.

Just looking at Adam, wearing one of Ronan's shirts made him light headed.

Adam met his gaze.

Ronan made an unimpressed face behind Kavinsiky's back.

Adam coughed to cover up a laugh. This made Swan look into their direction. Ronan's gaze snapped back to Kavinsiky.

Adam had lowered his gaze to look more submissive.

Submissive my ass. Ronan thought. Yesterday he'd found an old game of chess. It had taken him an hour to explain everything properly to Adam. Once he'd understood the rules of the game, Adam had beat his ass five times. After the fifth Ronan gave up. He'd been grumpy about it. 

"It's not my fault you suck at chess." Adam had teased. Because he'd only learned how to play it that night and had already been better at it.

Adam was a great actor.

But Ronan discovered that after a month of living together, Adam had gotten a bit more relaxed. Listening to Kavinsiky became boring. So, Ronan looked back at Adam. He made a face saying, Can you believe this guy? With no words.

Adam rolled his eyes at him.

Proko elbowed Adam in the side. He glared at Ronan, a silent warning.

"What do you think Lynch?" Kavinsiky asked. As if Ronan had been paying attention all this time. As if he hadn't been staring at Adam's pretty eyelashes this entire time. Or his full lips. Or his jawbone.

Ronan's face remained perfectly neutral while he stared at Kavinsiky, with practiced ease, his voice sounded indifferent as he spoke. "You know I've got a hard time understanding you when you speak from your high horse."

Kavinsiky rolled his eyes, "Asshole." He said with a grin. From the corner of his eyes, he caught Adam frowning in confusion at them. That was fine. Ronan didn't understand his relationship with Kavinsiky either.

No one did for that matter.

The shallops were ready. Ronan turned towards Adam, "C'mon, time to make ourselves useful." He said, addressing his slave. He walked away, knowing Adam would follow with no protest.

.

.

.

"He can sleep outside." Proko offered after Ronan had complained about how small his tent was. Proko nodded at Adam, who'd helped put up the tent. It was warm. Ronan knew his pale skin had turned a blotchy red. Adam's bangs stuck to his forehead.

"Perhaps we should cut it." Ronan said, brushing some strands out of Adam's eyes.

Adam glanced at the men around them. Ronan did as well, after Adam had told him about his mother. He'd caught himself staring at the few females working on Kavinsiky's ship Kavinsiky didn't believe in superstition. He didn't believe women brought bad luck on a ship. If anyone brought bad luck, it was Kavinsiky himself. The women worked just as hard as the other men, if not harder. Ronan often caught them curse louder than himself. They weren't afraid of a fight. Anyone that dared to lay a hand on them would end up with a knife pressed to their throat.

The only person who they allowed to treat them like shit was Kavinsiky. This because he was their captain. They were unable to fight back.

Every person from their crew knew that the living conditions on Kavinsiky's ship were much better than other pirate ships. From the dreamed-up cabins to the unlimited supply of fresh food and water. There would be no mutiny, because if it happened, they'd lose all those benefits.

Also, because they'd already tried once. Before Ronan had joined their crew. The people who'd started it, had found their end at the bottom of the ocean. Parts of their limbs missing due to Kavinsiky letting one of his monsters teach his crew a lesson first.

It could be worse. He heard Adam whisper in his head.

But it could also be a lot better.

How would things be if he were captain? Did he have the guts for that? To begin a mutiny. Overthrow Kavinsiky's reign.

He looked at Adam.

His attraction to Adam felt a little like starting a mutiny. The anxiety and rush of excitement that came with it, couldn't be normal. It felt like something he couldn't control.

Adam's eyes found his. Like they always did. Like they had been for days now.

No words were said.

They didn't need to speak out loud to understand each other.

One more month. Ronan told himself. Adam nodded. As if he'd read his thoughts.

Perhaps he did.

Creepy little fucker.

Adam smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, when I said this AU sucks I did not mean it in a "ohhh nooooo, this is terribleeeeee. Please don't hate me for writing something this bad. *cries*" way. I meant it in a; I am a goblin, living in a goblin house, using my one goblin brain cell to write this story. Which is by the way very self indulgent. Like I wrote this for funsies and with no actual plot in my mind.   
> My goblin self thought this would get little to no attention.   
> I was very wrong. I am so grateful for all the kudos and nice comments. Like damn y'all??? pirates aus are really in eh??   
> Can I do a self promo and say I'm also working on an Anastasia au? (that I will update soon)  
> The reason why this chapter took so long (and is also shorter than the first) is cuz I didn't expect this much response to the story. I had a second chapter but after getting so much response I felt like it wasn't good enough????? I'm still unsure, because well, I didn't take this au very serious. but Now I kinda feel like I have to??? not that im complaining??? because damn those comments made my little goblin heart melt.   
> If you find any spelling errors, plz let me know! I am both stoopid in English as in my Native tongue. It is truly a gift to be as dumb as me.   
> Cheers, let me know what you think! I'm working on the next chapter and doing my best to make it much longer!   
> Goblin out!

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, this AU sucks. Sorry for making you read this.  
> Leave a comment to please the ugly gremlin living inside of me <3  
> IDK how I did it on my previous stories, BUT I see now that the chapters say 1/1... it's NOT a oneshot, More chapters will come. I'll see if I can fix it when I post the next chapter.


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